#AtoZChallenge: L is for Language Acquisition Apps

Learning a language? These apps can help you crush the bilingual game

By Brittany Smith

According to the BBC, there is an estimated 6,500+ spoken languages in the world today. The most widely spoken is Mandarin Chinese, with English and Spanish close behind.

Also, 75 percent of the world’s population doesn’t speak English, and a recent study by the Instituto Cervantes found that the U.S. is the world’s second largest Spanish speaking country. More people speak Spanish in the U.S. than Spain.

Which not only makes learning another language bad-ass for helping you pick up foreign significant others, it can also help boost brainpower and memory and give you better job prospects.

So why not get started today? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best apps to help you go from floundering to fluent in no time.

Dualingo

Dualingo is getting the most amor from the Interwebs—it’s one of the highest rated language apps available.

It’s set up like a game in which you earn points for correct answers. The best part about Duolingo is that it doesn’t focus on grammar, rather it allows users to learn through speaking, repetition and conversations.

There are multiple-choice questions, translation exercises and sections to type phrases.

Busuu

Busuu is another great app on the market, mainly because of its emphasis on speaking.

The mock conversation portion is unique to the app. Watch video of a native person speaking in a conversational format. Then record your responses to complete the dialogue. The app is interactive, with a chat application to connect with native speakers.

Memrise

Featuring more than 200 languages, the app also caters to your level, whether you’re a beginner or need to brush up for an upcoming trip. The app teaches through flashcards so you can study common words and listen to an audio recording of the words.

Choose from uniquely crafted lessons such as Mexican Spanish and Advanced Spanish. The app is free to download and you can compete with your friends.

Babbel

The Babbel website states: “When you can speak another language your world becomes bigger, richer and more inspiring.”

We couldn’t agree more. Babbel users learn by completing and repeating phrases and the app lets you set goals and monitor your progress. Finished learning Spanish? Move on to German. The app is free to download, but has a monthly subscription of $11.

FluentU

FluentU is less scripted than the other apps, but takes a real world approach by utilizing music videos, news, commercials so you learn the language as it’s spoken in real life.

The videos also come with quizzes and vocabulary building exercises which makes it easy to learn new phrases and customize the language learning experience.

Brittany Smith is a copywriter by day, and blogger and short story writer by night. Speaking Spanish, French Fries and a solid road trip playlist are a few of her favorite things.